A 50-year-old Butts County man was found dead Wednesday from what authorities say may be hypothermia after being exposed to hours of frigid weather.

Butts County Coroner Ralph Wilson identified the man as Kenneth Mitchell of Jackson. He said Mitchell’s wife called 911 at 5:03 a.m. Wednesday to report finding her husband outside the couple’s home. Wilson said the wife told authorities she thought her husband had gone across the street to a neighbor’s home sometime earlier.

Wilson said the man was found outside near the porch of the couple’s home. He said Mitchell was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Wilson said authorities have indications the man may have been outside as long as five hours.

“We found no apparent injuries and it didn’t appear like he fell,” Wilson said.

The death is being investigated jointly by the Butts County Coroner’s Office, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiner’s office, which is expected to perform an autopsy.

Wilson said Mitchell had not been in good health but he could not discuss the details of the man’s condition.